


The Break-Up

by ToomanyOCs



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Mutual Pining, Takes place after the Kazekage rescue arc, Tears, break-up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28900254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToomanyOCs/pseuds/ToomanyOCs
Summary: It's a late night in Suna, Gaara has been revived. Kotoko is visiting Suna and is awake late one night when Kankuro enters the room she is in, it ends hard for both of them.
Relationships: Kankuro/Henshin Kotoko, Kankuro/OC, Kankuro/OFC
Kudos: 1





	The Break-Up

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo her are some changes to my OC Kotoko if you don't follow on IG (Toomanyocsqueen) instead of pure blue hair, she has brown har with some blue strands in her bangs and the inside of her hair, she also has heterchromia with one eye black (right) and one a dark green (left). She also wears a dark blue sleeveless and short wet suit with knee-high ninja shoes, and slightly lighter but still dark blue fingerless gloves and belt with two pieces of triangle fabric on either side.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It is a very cold night in Suna. Kotoko isn’t sure how long Sakura, Naruto, and the rest of their comrades had left to go back to Konoha after they saved Gaara. She hates to think about that night. Kotoko was in Suna when it happened. And she understands that since Gaara is the Kazekage and because of Shukaku, he does not sleep. And as an older sibling herself she understands why Kankuro wanted to be out with his brother, and she has no doubt that if Temari was in Suna at the time, she also would have been out with her brothers. Kotoko wanted to be out with them, but Kankuro had reassured her that they would be fine. Even if they knew that the Akatsuki was after Gaara. When she had woken up and found Kankuro in the medbay because he had been poisoned. She was ready to kill him but needed to heal him first.

She was glad when Sakura showed up as she assisted in helping Kotoko in healing Kankuro. Now Kankuro is resting, Kotoko having offered to stay behind in case anything happens while Kankuro is healing. Gaara, even though he can sleep is still awake and watching over the village.

Kotoko is staring outside when an old memory starts to storm her mind, without knowing it she then stares at her right hand. When she was twelve she had been in the chunin exams and she was the only one of her teammates to be promoted to chunin, and make it out alive. Normally if all three members cannot participate in the exams, all three members are disqualified. But this was before Mei-Sensei, or rather Lady Mei now, took over. While still under Yagura’s rule the last two tests of the exams were reversed. Meaning, that she and her teammates were in the scroll part as the final test. The other teams were ruthless. But it wasn’t until Kotoko had defeated an enemy team – normally she is good about the symbols and which villages they belong to, but she had been fighting a team that was strong in genjutsu and she had spent her time fighting illusions and the real enemy. When the opposing team had enough and was injured enough they fled, unknowingly leaving their scroll behind. Surprisingly the exact scroll that Kotoko, Umi, and Kiri needed to succeed. But when Kotoko looked behind her, to see them laying on the floor bloody, bruised and gutted Kotoko was in shock. She wanted to throw up and leave. But she had a duty to do. So she grabbed the scrolls and left her teammates bodies behind. She was the first to reach the base. While the other higher ups from the other villages were eyeing her, whispering about her teammates, even her sensei looking at her with curiosity while Yagura smiled, as if he knew what had happened.

In the end, Mei was saddened to hear that two of her students had died because she thought she taught them well enough, that all would make it out alive. But she also knew how rough the chunin exams were so when Kotoko got promoted she was given about a week or two of free time to relax.

She is not sure because the days all blurred together. After the exams she saw everyone’s favorite Kiri nin for hire, Kyo. He congratulated her on her promotion and offered to take her out; wanting to get her mind off of things she agreed. That was when her unhealthy habit started. She ended up drinking some saki even though she was underage, she didn’t care. Most people in Kiri didn’t care that they were selling stuff like alcohol and other similar items to those underage. Heck, most adults at the time thought it was a wonderful idea considering that everyone knew that the graduation exams from the academy alone were brutal and saw it as those who passed being adults themselves even if they were still twelve.

Once the first sip of saki hit her tongue, Kotoko could feel the weight of losing her parents crashing down and mixing with the loss of her teammates, having to grow up quick and be strong for her little brother, she could no longer remember anything else. It wasn’t until one day when she woke up in an abandoned building surrounded endless bottles of saki, she remembers Chojuro and Mei entering. Chojuro had wrapped his arms around her, happy that she was okay. Mei looking at her also relived, but also an understanding in her eyes. Chojuro still had roughly a year left at the academy, to get his teammates. But he didn’t know about the chunin exams, what could happen. She wanted to keep him away from those things, but he also chose the (more like forced into) the life of a shinobi. She knows that she can’t keep things of the life from him forever.

“You’re up late.” Kotoko is brought back to the sandy-colored walls from her trip down memory lane by a familiar voice. She turns and sees Kankuro standing just outside the doorframe of the same corridor that Kotoko is in. He is topless due to his poison injury. She knows she shouldn’t worry, she and Sakura are top medical nin from their respective villages, she still can’t help but worry. That the poison will come back, that he’ll get an infection---

Crack.

Kotoko’s fist makes contact with the wall, several cracks appearing from where she hit it. Kankuro’s eyes widen a bit. His face is bare, and unless it has to be, like when he was under the effects of the poison, or sleeping, he always has paint on it. If he doesn't then that means that something private and personal is happening or he is comfortable with you. Right now she’s chalking his current state to him just getting out of bed.

“You’re an idiot.” She tells him. Kotoko has never been real good with her emotions, and she has known Kankuro and his siblings for a little a few years now and she has grown to care for Kankuro a lot, probably more than she has for another person and seeing him on the verge of death practically scared her, even if she won’t admit it. “You could of died.”

“If it meant I had done it to make sure that my village and brother was safe I would do it again.”

The worst part is Kotoko knows exactly how he feels. She understands, because she would pretty much lay her life down for Kirigakure and her brother and her sensei and Ao (now that he is a part of their little family) if meant that they got to be safe. Doesn’t mean that she still isn’t angry at him.

“And what about those that care about you? How would your siblings feel? Baki? Your friends in Konoha? How do you think they would feel? How do you think that ma---” she stops, she can’t say anything right now. She knows how she feels for Kankuro but doesn’t know if he feels the same.

Kankuro looks around for a little bit, Kotoko isn’t sure how long but it feels like the entire night avoiding her, he settles on something behind her. When he speaks, it’s as if they’re having a normal conversation and she didn’t just have an outburst. “Y’know I haven’t been able to sleep for the last few hours.”

Kotoko’s heart squeezes in her chest. Whatever piece of hope is rising within her and what that means, she squashes it. Afterall, he didn’t know where she was and this is his home. Of course, he is comfortable here.

“Kotoko, I know I could of died but I knew you would be able to help me if the need arose. Sakura too.”

“And what if we weren’t here? The medical nin here are severely lacking in knowledge and if it weren’t for Sakura and I you would be with Lady Chiyo!”

She can feel his hands on her shoulders just before he embraces her. “Kotoko,” he whispers. “We are living in rough times, I know what I did was stupid, but I promise that under any other circumstances I would not of done that.”

Kotoko leans against the wall, letting out a breath. “I’m not sure I can handle this, Kankuro.”

The brunette looks at the blue-brown hair young woman in front of him. “What do you mean?”

“I lost my teammates in our Chunin exams, I lost my parents shortly before my graduation. I don’t think I can sit here and lose someone else I care about. Even if I care for you more than I do anyone else, I can’t see you dying like that again.”

“What do you mean?” Kankuro narrows his eyes at her, heart squeezing down to his stomach dreading her answer.

“I think we should stop visiting each other in our free time and only see each other when it’s necessary.”

Both fall silent. Part of Kotoko wants Kankuro to speak against it, to say something to try and reason why that is a foolish thing to do.

“Okay.” Kankuro says quietly. He wants to say something, but Kotoko is stubborn. If she makes her mind up about something then there is nothing one can do to change unless they have a very reasonable argument.

Kotoko is the first to break the silence, but not by speaking. Her footsteps leave the room taking her back to her temporary room where she packs her bag and leaves out into the night, silent tears falling down her face. It might be a dangerous time, but she has to leave Suna or else she might do something stupid.

Kankuro watches as she leaves the home of the Kazekage and their family and out to the gates of Suna, leaving the village. Once he can’t see her anymore he heads to his workshop, working on his new Sasori puppet along with the mother and father ones as well.

* * *

Kotoko makes it back to Kirigakure by morning, not stopping for anything. Her drive to get as far from Suna driving her. She walks around the island, not as much as ghost village as when she was a child but it still needs work. She goes to the Mizukage office, hoping that Mei has some sort of mission for her. She runs into Ao and Chojuro first. She isn’t sure what comes over her, but all the emotions since the previous night that she has been repressing comes crashing forward and the water works start, she does her best to explain to them what happened without going into much detail, she isn’t ready for that yet.

* * *

The sun still has at least an hour before it rises in Suna. Temari woke up early due to some loud noises and finds Kankuro working hard on some of his puppets. She has to wonder how long he has been up working, and if Gaara knows.

When she sees Kankuro punch the table she decides to finally speak up, it’s unusual for her little brother to have some sort of outlash like that.

“Is everything okay?”

Kankuro turns his head to look at her, his eyes a reddish-pink. She would ask if he had gotten paint in his eyes except he wasn’t wearing any, and he doesn’t look as if he has been outside.

“No.” He finally breathes out. “Kotoko. . . . we decided to stop visiting each other as casually as we do unless it’s needed for a mission.” Temari goes over and gives her younger brother a hug, not saying anything. None of them have a lot of romantic relationships so she isn’t sure what to say.


End file.
